


I Hold You Close To My Heart

by MiraNightingale



Category: RWBY
Genre: Comfort/Angst, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, How Do I Tag, My First AO3 Post, My First Work in This Fandom, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Volume 3 (RWBY)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-24
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-16 05:47:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,995
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28951398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MiraNightingale/pseuds/MiraNightingale
Summary: He may not show it, but deep down he really does care.orFour times Ren showed that he cares for his friends and the one time his friends showed that they care for him, too.
Relationships: Jaune Arc & Lie Ren, Jaune Arc & Pyrrha Nikos & Lie Ren & Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren & Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren & Pyrrha Nikos, Lie Ren & Ruby Rose, Oscar Pine & Lie Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 35





	1. Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JNP plays in the rain and gets sick. Ren takes care of his team.

The soft sound of the drizzling rain can be a very relaxing sound. Often times, though, it can be a sleepy one. And the last thing Lie Ren needed right now was to feel drowsy.

The day had been gloomy for the students at Beacon Academy. Dark clouds covered the sky and the slight drizzle of rain from the night before was now a bit stronger. There was a distant rumble of thunder every now and again that made everything all the more gloomy.

Ren fought back a yawn as he half-listened to Professor Port's story about... something. He had honestly lost track. Ren felt his eyelids begin to close, despite his best efforts. It was only thanks to a soft _thud_ that made his eyes snap open and he sat up a bit straighter.

Looking to his left, Ren felt a smile tug at the corner of his lips. It seemed the rest of Team JNPR was having trouble staying awake as well.

Nora was face first on the desk, snoring softly onto her open notebook. Pyrrha sat beside her, the red-haired champion rubbing at her eyes in an attempt to stay awake. At her other side was Jaune, his head propped up on his hand and was trying his best not to nod off. But the sharp, subtle jerks of his head proved that he was doing a poor job.

Ren didn't even realize that he was staring at his teammates until the final bell rang. The cheers that could usually be heard after the final class of the day was reduced to loud yawns and heavy footsteps as the students began to leave. Ren sighed inwardly. All he wanted was for it to be the weekend already so he can sleep longer. Unfortunately, it was only Thursday, and the news report stated that the rain wouldn't stop until Sunday.

Shaking the bit of drowsiness from his mind, Ren collected his belongings and followed his team out of the classroom. Despite being asleep just a few moments ago, Nora was skipping in front of her team while humming a random tune.

"Finally! I thought classes would never finish!" The ginger-haired girl said. She turned around to look at her friends, skillfully walking backward without bumping into anyone. "So what do you guys wanna do? Watch a movie? Play video games?"

"How about we go to our dorms and sleep," Jaune suggested with another stifled yawn. "All this rain is making me sleepy."

Nora gasped at those words, a grin slowly pulling at her face. Ren dreaded what was coming next.

"That's it!" The shortest member of team JNPR exclaimed. She stopped in her tracks, making the rest of JNPR stop as well, giving her weary looks. Pointing a finger at her team, Nora almost squealed, "We should totally play in the rain!"

A moment of silence passed as the other three members of JNPR processed what their shorter friend had just suggested. Well... more like 'demanded'.

"Wait, whoa, what?" Jaune sputtered. He stared at the grinning face of Nora and asked, "You want to play in the rain?"

"Yeah! Ren and I did it all the time when we were kids." Nora proudly said, bouncing on the balls of her feet. "That's also how I found my Semblance."

"We didn't have a choice, and you were struck by lightning." Ren deadpanned.

Nora gave him a slight glare, but before she could say anything, Pyrrha cut her off. "I don't think now would be a good time to play in the rain, Nora. We still have classes tomorrow."

"Yeah, we could catch a cold." Jaune agreed, although, he did want to play in the rain as well. "And a cold is the last thing I want to get in this weather."

Nora pouted but didn't push it as the team continued to make their way back to the dorms. Ren still kept alert, knowing Nora will try something.

And he was right.

The moment they stepped out into the open, Nora jumped on Jaune's back. The blonde yelped in surprise, letting go of his umbrella as his arms swung wildly. He wasn't able to balance himself, though, sending both him and Nora onto the muddy ground.

Ren sighed as Jaune playfully scolded Nora about getting his uniform muddy, with said ginger laughing loudly on the ground beside the blonde. Pyrrha stood next to Ren, trying to hide her own giggles.

Just as Nora and Jaune began to splash each other by jumping on puddles, Pyrrha decided to intervene. The redhead suggesting that they go back to their dorms before the two catch a cold.

Ren saw the grin that was shared between his two teammates, and he made to warn Pyrrha. He was too late, however, when Nora suddenly kicked her foot in Pyrrha's direction, splashing the red-haired champion.

Pyrrha gave a surprised gasp as she let go of her own umbrella and raised her arms in front of her. Jaune let out a laugh as he watched his partner stare at her now wet clothes, Nora giggling next to him.

After a few more moments of shock, Pyrrha found herself laughing and splashing alongside her two teammates.

Ren stood a safe distance away, a small smile on his face as he watched the rest of his team chase each other in the rain. He would've scolded them, but he figured his friends needed this after having a gloomy day.

Pulling out his scroll, Ren discreetly snapped a picture before tucking it away and calling out to his friends.

"You three better stop before you catch a cold." He warned them. His three friends paused their little game for a moment, wide smiles plastered on their faces.

"Aww! Come on, Ren!" Nora half whine and half laughed. "Stop being a party pooper! We'll be fine."

"You're going to regret it," the pink-eyed male said.

Nora scoffed. "Pfft. Please! I regret nothing!"

~¤~

"I regret everything." A green-faced Nora groaned as Ren placed a damp towel on her forehead.

Ren smirked at her and the ginger Valkyrie pouted. "Yeah, yeah. I know what you're gonna say, so don't even bother." She grumbled.

Chuckling at his long time friend, Ren proceeded to dampen another towel before walking over to Pyrrha, who was curled up on her own bed with a blanket pulled up to her nose. The redhead mumbled thanks as Ren placed the towel on her forehead.

"I did warn you," Ren said as he prepared a third towel. "But instead of listening, you three continued to play in the rain and didn't even bother to dry yourselves properly afterward."

Nora stuck her tongue out at him, while a muffled "I'm sorry!" could be heard from Pyrrha's bed. The opening of the door drew Ren's attention and he turned to see Jaune enter the room, having been to the restroom a few minutes earlier.

Ren bit back a chuckle at his leader's miserable face. Instead, he said, "You should go to sleep, Jaune."

"Yeah. That's... I'll do that." Jaune mumbled. The blonde walked over to his own bed before practically throwing himself on it. Ren helped him get under the covers before grabbing the third towel he prepared and placing it on the blonde's burning forehead.

Ren picked up the small bowl of water he was using. "I'll put this away and get you three some soup." He said as he walked over to the door.

Jaune raised an eyebrow at him. "Ren, we appreciate you taking care of us all day, but you really don't have to." He told his friend.

"I know." Ren smiled before closing the door.

Minutes later, Ren came back with three thermoses of soup and a notebook he borrowed from team RWBY. He figured he should copy their notes since he wasn't able to attend classes due to him taking care of his team. (Ruby had said it was sweet of him.)

After giving Pyrrha and Jaune theirs, Ren went over to Nora's bed to give hers. As Ren sat down, Nora sat up and hugged his torso.

"Nora?" Ren asked in surprise.

Nora smiled at him. "Thanks, Ren. You're the best!" She reached up and booped his nose.

Before Ren can say anything, Pyrrha cut him off. "Nora's right. We're really grateful for you taking care of us." She said. Jaune nodded in agreement as he continued to gulp down his soup.

Ren gave Nora her thermos and turned to Pyrrha with a shy smile. "You guys would've done the same." He said softly.

"True. But no one can make soup the way you do." Jaune stated, having finished his. He was going to say more but a yawn cut him off.

Ren shook his head in amusement and went to collect their thermoses. "You all should sleep. It's getting late." He told them, ignoring Nora's grumbles about taking his own advice.

"You should sleep as well, Ren," Pyrrha said from under her covers. "You've been taking care of us since morning."

"Don't worry. I'll just clean these," he shook one thermos, "then copy some of team RWBY's notes before I go to bed."

"Can't that wait?" Jaune asked as he curled up on his bed. "We've got the whole weekend, Ren. You don't need to run yourself ragged for us."

"I know. And I don't mind." The black-haired teen said with a smile as he walked out the door.

The three other members of Team JNPR shared a smile before deciding to go to sleep, mentally promising to return the favor. When they woke up the next morning, feeling well and sickness free, they found Ren asleep on his desk.

The black-haired teen had apparently fallen asleep while copying their sister team's notes. After waking him up and scolding him for staying up late, the three of them managed to drag Ren to his bed to sleep.

When the silent member of team JNPR woke up again at noon, the four of them spent the rest of the day relaxing in the dorm's lounge. And if anyone saw Ren blushing as red as Pyrrha's hair after being complimented endlessly by his teammates, no one said anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So.... this chapter was meant to be Ren just taking care of his team, but I couldn't resist adding in a bit of JNPR fluff. Also, if you squint real hard and turn it sideways, you'll see the JNPR berries.


	2. Quiet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruby worries about the future, Ren shares a bit of wisdom.

A lone figure sat on a log in front of a campfire, pink eyes scanning the sleeping bodies of his friends before resting back on the flames.

The night was quiet.

Too quiet.

Contrary to what others might believe, Lie Ren never liked the quiet. He preferred to hear things, to have some sort of noise fill the air. He didn't like the quiet because of what it reminds him of.

Ren's shoulders tensed as the campfire's crackling flames were all he heard for a moment. But despite that, it was still quiet.

_Crack!_

It was quiet when the Grimm finally left the ruins of his village.

_Crack!_

It was quiet in the orphanage without his mother's soft singing beside him.

_Crack!_

It was quiet when Jaune was avoiding his team and Pyrrha was too upset to talk.

_Crack!_

It was quiet when the bright light suddenly shone on top of Beacon Tower and froze the giant Grimm.

_Crack!_

It was especially quiet when Professor Goodwitch told team JNPR that Pyrrha was gone.

_CRACK!_

His shoulders lost some of their tension as he snapped out of his thoughts.

Yes. Ren didn't like the quiet. The quiet was a painful reminder, and it makes his mind wander too much. He liked it better when there were noises he could focus on. Noises that can distract him from the dark thoughts screaming in his mind.

Trembling hands curled around the white fabric of his pants.

It wasn't as noisy when it was just him and Nora, but coming to Beacon Academy gave him more noises to focus on.

Ruby's sweet encouragements.

Weiss' cold, yet caring, remarks.

Blake's quiet comments.

Yang's terrible puns.

Jaune's awkward flirting.

Pyrrha's shy apologies.

Nora's rambunctious laughter.

Ren would admit, he hadn't thought about how those moments meant so much to him, how his friends meant so much to him. He had taken it for granted, and now...

Ren shut his eyes with a frown, his hands tightening their grip on his pants. His lips pressed into a thin line.

Now Beacon has fallen. Half of his friends were scattered, and one was gone. Ren felt his emotions go wild, like a flurry of petals circling him. He tried to pinpoint each one, but the petals were hard to distinguish.

"Ren?"

Pink eyes snapped open to meet shining silver orbs.

Ruby stood in front of him, awkwardly shifting her feet. Finally, after mustering enough courage to speak, the young girl gestured to the spot beside him and quietly asked, "Mind if I join you?"

Ren shook his head and as the red-clad girl made herself comfortable, he noted the way her hands trembled and her eyes shined with tears. The two sat in silence for a while, and Ren hated every single second of it.

It was never this quiet around Ruby. The two had never really spent a lot of time alone, but the few times they were alone weren't quiet. Ruby would try to start a conversation, awkwardly stumbling over her words as she tries not to sound desperate. Ren had tried his best to lessen the awkwardness between them by responding, but he was never really the most social person.

Ruby hated quiet, too, Ren realized. Their few interactions proved that. He realized that no matter how awkward their conversations got, Ruby never once let the silence settle between them. Looking at the young girl beside him, Ren noted a few things. Ruby had her arms around her, lightly gripping her cape. Her posture looked tired, slightly hunched over like a weight had settled on her shoulders. Only then did Ren realize that Ruby shouldn't even be awake.

Ren, after much hesitation, placed a hand on her shoulder. He tried not to notice the way the young girl flinched at his touch and instead, quietly said, "You should be asleep."

Ruby sniffled and reached up a hand to wipe her cheeks. "Yeah, I know," her voice shook as she spoke. "Sorry. I just... can't sleep."

"Nightmare?"

Ruby hesitated but nodded after a moment. Ren gently squeezed her shoulder, having an idea what the nightmare was about. Ren opened his mouth to speak, but soon closed it when he realized that he didn't know what to say. Talking had never been his strong suit. But, still, he felt he should at least try. For Ruby.

"Ruby," he began, hesitating when silver eyes looked up at him. Ren took a calming breath and continued. "Jaune and Nora are heavy sleepers, and I won't say anything." When Ruby gave him a confused look, he simply smiled at her and said, "You can cry, Ruby. No one will judge you."

A few seconds after he said that, the tears that were gathering in Ruby's eyes began to fall. It was only a few drops at first, which Ruby frantically wiped away, but when Ren gave her shoulder another gentle squeeze, Ruby finally let the tears fall.

Ren hated the quiet, but at that moment, he hated the quiet sobs that escaped Ruby's lips more. Ruby seemed to curl into herself, so Ren pulled her into a hug. He swallowed a lump in his throat when the young girl gripped the front of his coat with trembling fingers.

The two huntsmen-in-training stayed like that for a while, with Ruby trying to keep her sobs quiet while Ren rubbed comforting circles on her back. Finally, the red-clad girl's sobs began to subside and she soon pulled back from the hug, wiping away the last of her tears.

"Thanks, Ren."

The pink-eyed huntsman said nothing as he watched the young girl gather herself.

"It's just..." Ruby paused, blinking away tears that were beginning to gather again. "Everything's a mess. Beacon is crawling with Grimm, Yang's lost her arm, Weiss is in Atlas, who knows where Blake is, and Pyrrha-"

Ruby froze, her eyes hesitantly shifting to the male beside her. Ren couldn't blame her. If it had been team RWBY that had lost a teammate, he wouldn't want to mention it either. Still, that didn't stop the pang of sadness he felt at the mention of the name.

"I'm sorry." Ren blinked in surprise at that. It was said so quietly that he almost missed it if their surroundings hadn't been so quiet. It seems the quiet can be good sometimes.

He turned to Ruby and asked, "Sorry for what?"

Ruby didn't look at him as she spoke. "I promised you guys that Weiss and I will save her. But we... we were too late." She let out a shaky breath. " _I_ was too late."

Ren frowned. He didn't say anything as Ruby began fiddling with the edges of her cape. Instead, he turned his attention back to the campfire, trying not to listen to the sniffling of the girl beside him. The silence stretched for several minutes until Ren decided to break it.

"I think..." He swallowed a lump in his throat. "I think Pyrrha knew the risk of going after Cinder alone. But she did so anyway."

Seeing Ruby's questioning look from the corner of his eye, Ren continued. "Whether you were able to come in time or not wouldn't have changed anything." He turned to look at the young girl, his gaze hard. "We would have still lost. You and Pyrrha would have both died."

Ruby averted her eyes and Ren did the same, his gaze shifting to the broken moon above them. "There are things in our lives that we cannot have control over, whether we like it or not. We lose people," his hands unconsciously clenched. "But we must never let that pull us down. We keep moving forward because that's what those we lost would have wanted."

Pink eyes stared into the flames of the campfire, but it sees something different. The kind smile of a loving mother. The wise eyes of a proud father. Another blink and the two images faded into the flames.

"But what if I can't?" Ren turned his attention back to Ruby, seeing her staring at the campfire. "I try to act like I know what I'm doing, but I really don't. I don't know what's going to happen, or if what we're doing is the right action to take."

Ruby looked down at her hands with a frown. "I've always been certain of what I wanted to be, what I wanted to do. But now?" Her hands curled into fists. "Now I have no idea what to do, or what will happen next."

"No one ever does." Was Ren's reply, prompting the younger teen to look up at him. "There are always choices we must make that will take us down one path or another. We do not know what obstacles lie in the paths we choose, all we can do is overcome them and hope for the best."

Ruby stared at Ren for a moment, before a small smile tugged at her lips and she turned away, giggling quietly. She turned to see Ren's questioning look and she smiles apologetically.

"Sorry. I just haven't heard you talk so much before." She said. "And here you are, getting really deep."

Ren smiled, turning to gaze up at the stars. "I guess I felt like talking tonight."

"It suits you."

"Huh?" Ren looked back to see Ruby giggling at him. "What suits me?"

"Talking," Ruby replied. "You hardly talk, but you have a lot to say about stuff. You should talk more. The others would like to hear your thoughts, you know? I know I do."

Ren chuckled at the silver-eyed teen. "I'll keep that in mind."

He flinched when Ruby suddenly leaned on his side. Hesitantly, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Thank you, Ren." She quietly said, a smile on her lips.

Ren smiled back and gently squeezed Ruby's shoulder. "Any time, Ruby."

It was quiet as the two of them watched the stars shining in the dark sky. But Ren didn't hate this quiet. While other times quiet is cold and reminds him of the things he lost, this quiet is warm and reminds him that he isn't alone. That despite what he lost, he's still here with his friends. His _family_.

Yes. Ren liked this quiet very much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for all the angst, but I did try my best to add even the smallest fluff at the end there. I tried to find a way to make it... not so angsty, but this was supposed to be between V3 and V4, so I figured angst is the best choice. I don't know why I made it so angsty though. I didn't even know I could write angst. I was probably in some sort of mood when I began writing this chapter.
> 
> Just so we're clear, I am not shipping Ruby and Ren romantically here. I just imagine them to have a more sibling-like relationship. In fact, I'm not gonna ship Ren with anyone in this (except maybe Nora cuz RENORA is life!).


	3. Sunrise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oscar feels homesick. Ren helps him adjust.

For the longest time, sleep had been something hard to come by for Lie Ren. There would be times where Ren would either lay awake until midnight or wake up extra early. He didn't really know the reason why it happens, and at the time, it didn't really matter to him. It soon became a common occurrence where he didn't really prepare for it nor does he get startled when it happens.

Ren had grown used to it over the years, so it didn't faze him when he woke up one day to find that the sky outside was still dark. He looked around to check if it really was one of those times and not because he woke up due to someone crying in their sleep. Looking over at the other occupant of the room, Ren saw Jaune curled up under the covers, mumbling something inaudible to the pink-eyed huntsman.

Reaching for his scroll on the bedside table, Ren opened it and checked the time. The digital clock read, _4:33 a.m._ , and the black-haired teen knew that he won't be able to go back to sleep. Sighing inwardly, Ren quietly got up from his bed and out of the bedroom he was sharing with his leader. The house that they had rented was quiet as Ren absentmindedly walked around, his mind surprisingly blank as he let his feet guide him.

His mind finally snapped to attention when he felt a soft breeze hit his face and he found himself in the backyard of their rented house. By now the sky had turned a beautiful shade of pink, signaling that dawn will be soon, and the mountain ranges stood majestically in the distance. Ren admired the beautiful sight before he sat down in a lotus position in the middle of the yard, closed his eyes, and began to meditate.

Ren didn't know how long he was meditating, but he soon sensed a presence coming up behind him. His muscles tensed, but it relaxed when he heard the faint mumbling of their newest addition. He couldn't quite understand what was being said, but Ren could definitely tell that it was Oscar. And based on the mumbling, the young boy was probably talking to Ozpin.

Ren frowned. He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that someone whom they thought was dead, was actually still alive and is now inside the mind of a young boy. Add that to all the things Qrow had told them, and Ren is starting to think that there's a lot more going on.

Oscar's mumbling was a bit louder now, allowing Ren to faintly hear snippets of his one-sided conversation.

_"... I... disturb... looks... busy..."_

_"... don't... know him... well..."_

_"... probably doesn't... here..."_

Ren calmly opened his eyes and looked over his shoulder to see the boy half hidden behind the door to the yard. Slight tilting his head, Ren asked, "Can I help you?"

Oscar seemed to freeze and shrink away when he realized that Ren had seen him and was talking to him. He mumbled something under his breath, probably talking to Ozpin, before hesitantly walking out into the yard. He stopped a few feet behind Ren, one hand rubbing the back of his head.

"Hey, uh, Ren... right?" Ren nodded. "Yeah, um... sorry if I interrupted you."

Ren shook his head. "Don't worry. I was done anyway." He gestured to the ground beside him. "Would you like to sit with me?"

Oscar quietly nodded and sat down beside the older teen. The two sat in silence, and for a moment, Ren was reminded of a similar situation not too long ago. From the corner of his eye, he could see Oscar fidgeting with his gloves and looking everywhere but at him. The poor boy probably felt awkward sitting beside someone he doesn't really know, so Ren decided to break the silence.

"You're up early," he observed. Oscar glanced up at him before looking down at the ground.

"Yeah. I'm used to waking up early back at the farm." The young boy replied after a moment.

"You grew up on a farm?" Ren asked, interested in knowing more about the young boy.

"Not really," Oscar said. "My aunt owns a farm and I began helping around when she took me in."

Ren decided not to ask what that meant and instead said, "It must have been nice."

"Yeah." Ren looked down at the younger teen and saw the sad look in his eyes.

"Something wrong?" The black-haired teen asked with concern.

Oscar hesitated. After a few moments, probably Ozpin talking in his mind, the hazel-eyed teen spoke.

"I just miss it. The farm. My aunt." Oscar looked out at the sky. "I've always longed for something more than a life on a farm, but... It's been the only home I've had for a while, and this is the first time I've been far away from it."

"You feel homesick," Ren said softly. Oscar nodded and said nothing, his eyes glued to the ground. Ren turned to stare at the distant mountains.

"You know," Oscar looks up at the older teen. "A lot of the first-year students at Beacon Academy felt homesick the first few weeks there. Jaune especially, since he came from quite a large family, and he kept having trouble sleeping most days. He always denied our help, but Nora soon thought of a way to help him cope."

"What did you guys do?" Oscar asked. A small smile tugged at Ren's lips as he recalled the memory.

"Nora suggested that our team have a small potluck. Nora and I baked some cupcakes, Jaune made a beef stew that his mom taught him, and Pyrrha..." Ren hesitated, swallowing a lump in his throat. "Pyrrha said she didn't know how to cook, so she just ordered food from a Mistral-themed restaurant in Vale. We ended up making it something of a team bonding. Ruby and her team joined us at some point and it became one of the things our teams bonded over during the weekends. We would exchange recipes and play games afterward. Of course, the cooking part of it always ended in some sort of disaster."

_'I knew the fire in the dorms that one time was their doing!'_ Ozpin exclaimed in Oscar's mind, making the hazel-eyed boy laugh. By that time, the sun had begun to rise and the two teens watched as the sun rays hit the mountains at a perfect angle, outlining the distant rocks in a beautiful orange glow.

"My aunt and I used to do a lot together back at the farm," Oscar said after a while. Ren turned to the smaller teen. "We would always read books that she manages to get, but my favorite was every time she and I would cook in the kitchen."

"Do you know how to cook?"

Oscar shrugged. "My aunt taught me a few recipes, but I can't really say I know how to cook."

"Speaking of cooking," Ren began as he stood up. "I better start making breakfast before the others wake up. We'll all need energy if we're going to start training again."

_'Always the caregiver,'_ Ozpin commented fondly, but Oscar ignored him.

Just as he was about to turn and walk away, an idea popped into Ren's mind. He turned to the other teen and smiled.

"Would you care to join me in the kitchen?" He asked, holding out a hand to the younger boy.

Oscar's eyes widened a bit. "You want me to help?" He asked, to which Ren nodded. "But I don't know how to cook."

"Neither did I when I was your age," Ren said, his hand still held out towards Oscar. "But you said your aunt taught you some recipes, I believe that's more than enough. You can teach me what you know, and I'll teach you what I know."

Looking up at Ren's eyes and seeing the sincerity in them, Oscar smiled and took Ren's offered hand. Together the two teens spent almost an hour and a half in the kitchen, teaching each other various recipes they've learned and helping each other improve their cooking skills. At one point, Oscar tried to move a steaming pot of soup but accidentally dropped it. In an attempt to avoid the boiling liquid, Ren took a couple of steps back but ended up bumping into a bag of flour that they had used earlier.

By the time Ruby, Jaune, Nora, and Qrow came down to see what all the noise was, half of the kitchen was covered in a white powder and the two teens responsible were standing in the middle of it all. Oscar was clutching his stomach as he laughed, while Ren had a hand covering his mouth in an attempt to suppress his own laughter, but the shaking of his shoulders did little to hide the fact that he was laughing as well.

Cleaning up was even more disastrous when Nora splashed Ruby with soapy water, which soon turned into a game of who can stay dry. All the while, Ren was keeping an eye on Oscar. The black-haired teen smiling at the sight of the young boy laughing and messing around with the others. After a scolding from Qrow, the teens soon managed to clean everything. With a groan, Qrow sends them off to get cleaned while the older huntsman pulled out his scroll to order takeout instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been almost a month, and I'm sorry about that. Been busy with school work and inspiration was lacking, but I managed to squeeze this out of my brain. Also, writing this made me realize that Ren and Oscar don't really interact that much.


End file.
